Complaint Review: Iacobucci Homes - The Baker Companies - Havertown Pennsylvania

I purchased a newly built home in the Victoria Crossing development in Mays Landing, NJ in January of 2003. The builder was Iacobucci Homes (which appears now to be owned by The Baker Companies).

In September of 2008 while I was away from home a water pipe connection (the hot water shut off value) under the sink in an upstairs bathroom came loose and there was a flood in the house. The damage was extensive and

it took a contractor nearly eight weeks to make the repairs. During this time the contractor came across several places where the home builder did a poor job and in some cases did not perform work up to code.

In some places in the walls of the garage insulation was missing.

In other places in the walls of the garage the insulation was inserted backwards. Many ceiling bays were also missing insulation.

The main sewer pipe for the house was poorly constructed and caused sewage leakage into the basement of my home. (I know of three other homes in the Victoria Crossing development which have this same problem.)

There were two water pipe connectors (shut off values) where the installation was not fully completed (given that one final turn to lock the connection in).

The GFI in the kitchen is in the wrong location. (Not close to the sink).

There were several holes in the subfloor in two bathrooms where the builder cut the opening for the toilets in the wrong location and did nothing to patch the hole or even bother to replace the subfloor.

The painting above the door jambs in several locations was not completed (it cannot be seen from floor level).

One of the air-conditioning/heat floor vents was completely covered up by the bedroom wall to wall carpet and pad. Carpet and padding was a lesser quality than as paid for. The carpet is/was less than 9oz and the pad was less than 4oz. The carpet padding was installed incorrectly, whereas it was installed up-side-down.

The carpet installed on the stairs was not stapled down as required.

It was installed using the carpet tack strips which are not supposed to be used for staircasing.

A number of shut off values for the water lines were not properly secured through the joists, studs or framed walls. Many of them were cut incorrectly coming through floor boards and some coming up in the middle of the floor and then cut right through the bottom of the vanity.

The measurements of the pipe work and placement of the cabinets were obviously not followed by code or industry standards.

Gas flex piping was used in unapproved lengths for the stove, hot water heater and the dryer instead of industry standard gas piping or in accordance with building specifications.

Sawdust, debris, nails and/or screws were left behind on the floors before the carpet and padding were installed. The floors were not swept before

carpet and padding installation occurred.

When the carpet was installed the tack strips were not installed to the correct specifications. They were installed too far from the base molding

thereby leaving an unnecessary gap between the carpet and the walls.

The carpet was not measured correctly and had seams incorrectly placed throughout the home and rooms. In two bedrooms the carpet was not installed correctly.

Electrical outlets were tied together and not labeled correctly in the breaker panel. Outlets that should have been tied together in series were not. And outlets that were supposed to have their own circuit

breaker did not. Where a dedicated outlet should have been used, one was not used.

Marshall lake

Mays Landing, New Jersey

U.S.A.